Rack insert for golf bags



L. L. KOUKE RACK INSERT FOR GOLF' BAGS Nov. 18, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 28, 1956 l u .n n BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII INVENTOR ZGUZ'S L .Kou/fe;

ATTORNEY Nov. 18, 1958 L.. L. KOUKE RACK INSERT RoR GOLF BAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 28, 1956 INVENTOR OZ/L'S Z Zal/.Ke

ATTORNEY- United States Patent O RACK INSERTV FOR GDLF BAGS Louis L. Kouke, Los Angeles, Calif. Application September 28, 1956, Serial No. 612,667

4 Claims. `(Cl. 15G-1.5)

This invention relates to a rack for supporting golf clubs and particularly pertains to the type of golf club rack set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 2,781,072 issued to me February l2, 1957.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a golf club rack which is adapted to be mounted within a golf bag and then serve as a means for holding the handles of a multiple of golf clubs in separated spaced relation to each other while the clubs are carried in the bag and whereby interlocking of the club handles in the bag will be prevented and whereby withdrawing of a club from the bag will be facilitated.

Another object is to provide a rack of the above character which is so designed that it may be assembled apart from the bag and then be readily positioned within th bag and securely fastened in place therein.

Another object is to provide a golf club rack which is light in weight so as not to appreciably increase the weight of the bag to which it is applied, which is strong A and durable and which will withstand hard usage.

Another object is to provide a rack which may be marketed in knocked-down condition so as to effect economy in space during shipment and storage, yet which may be readily assembled and mounted in a golf bag by persons of ordinary skill.

A further object is to provide a rack embodying a pair of superimposed complementary apertured plates together with frame members whereby the plates are secured in suitable spaced relation to each other and be spaced from the upper and lower ends of the bag in which the rack is mounted. l t

A particular object of the invention is to provide a rack embodying rigid tubular guideways extending through opposed apertures in said plates for smoothly guiding the handles of golf clubs through the apertures in the uppermost plate downwardly through the apertures in the lowermost plate, and which is effective irrespective of whether the bag is positioned upright or horizontal,

or at an inclination as when being carried, and to provide an eliective means for removably mounting said guideways on said plates.

With the foregoing objects in view together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and as illustrated by way `of example in the 'accompanying drawings in which:

Fig.v l is a perspective view in transverse section of a golf bag showing the club supporting rack mounted therein with a portion of a guideway broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the rack partly in elevation showing it as detached from the bag;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section and plan View taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2 with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a detail in cross section partly in elevation as seen on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail in elevation as seen on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

2,860,679 Patented Nov. 18, 1958 ice Fig. 6 is a detail in section and elevation of one of the tubular guideways with parts broken away.

Referring tothe drawings more specifically A indicates generally a conventional golf bag, a vertical half of which is shown in Fig. l, and B designates the golf club rack designed for positioning within the bag A. i

The golf bag is here shown as comprising a exible fabric tube 6 one end of which is closed by a relatively stiff bottom wall 7 and the other end of which is open and fitted at its margin 8 with a rigid metallic reinforcing ring 9 which serves to maintain the bag open at its upper end. The margin 8 extends at an inclination from the back portion of the bag to the front portion thereof as is common in golf bag construction.

The rack B embodies a pair of complementary rigid plates 10 and 11 the margins of which at least substanf tially conform to the contour of the inner periphery of the bag A, and which plates are formed with a plurality of circular apertures 12-13 respectively with the apertures of one plate registering or aligned with 'the apertures of the other plate. The plates 10--11 are designed to be spaced apart in the bag A with the upper plate 10 spaced below the open upper end of the bag and with the other plate spaced from the bottom wall 7 of the bag. As a means for supporting the plates in such spaced relation and in parallel relation to each other and to the bottom wall 7 and also to sustain the iiexible` tube 6 against longitudinal collapse a frame is provided which consists of a pair of parallel elongated and narrow posts 14 and 15 arranged at opposite ends of the plates 10`11 and to which the latter are rigidly attached by angle brackets 16 each having one arm thereof secured by a screwA a to the plate and the other arm secured to the adjacent post Vby a screw b. The posts 14-15 are of rectangular cross section and are itted into conforming notches c formed in the end margins of the plates which serve to stabilize the connection between the plates and posts as well as to position the outer faces of the posts flush with the margins of the plates. The posts 14-15 may be connected together at their lower ends by a base strip 17 which is secured to the posts as by staples d or similar fastenings and is adapted to seat on the bottom wall 7. However this strip 17 is not essential since the lower ends of the posts may seat directly on the bottom wall 7.

The post 14 is designed to extend adjacent the inner face of the rear wall portion of the bag from the base strip 17 or bottom wall 7 to adjacent the uppermost point of the inclined margin 8 of the bag beneath the ring 9 while the post 1S is designed to extend adjacent the inner face of the front wall port-ion of the bag from the base strip 17 or bottom wall 7 to adjacent the underside of the ring 9 at the lowermost portion of the inclined margin of the bag.

As a means for fastening the rack B within the bag A, the upper end portions of the posts 14-15 are connected to the contiguous portions of the bag by fasteners C here shown as comprising bolts e which pass through the posts and bag and are fitted with nuts f in the usual manner which bolt and nut assemblies afford a means whereby the rack may readily be engaged with and disengaged from the bag. A reinforcing strip or band g may be affixed to the bag where the fasteners C engage the latter.

A feature of the invention resides in forming the plates 13 in the lower plate 11. This means consists of a series of "rigid tubes 20 extending in-parallel -relation to each other between the plates 1tl11 with their ends engaged in the apertures 1'2-13. The apertures 12 in the uppermost plate 'i0 Aare dimensionedrtofslidably -re ceive the tubes20 whichin assembling `arepasseddorigitudinally therethrough, 'while Ithwapertu'res131:inthe lower plate 11 Aare dimensioned to receive-thelowor ends `ofthe Atubes 20`with 'a snugdriving'tlto'securely hold the tubes in place. The plates uItl-ll-are `preterably 'formed lof sheet metal -w'hilethe tu-bes 20 are preferably kformed of laminations of'spirally'wound paperstrips in the manner common tok the manufacture of paper tubing.

As a means -forholding thetubes `2tlagainst being passedcompletelythroughthe apertures 12, the upper ends'of the 'tubes'20 lare fitted with metal grommets 21 which protrude from A"the outerfsurfaces of the tubes and' effect "seated engagement with the margins of the apertures 12. 4Thegrornrnets'Zl also serve as wearresistors since .they shield the upper .ends of the guidewaytubes 20 against impacts vof'the ends of club handles when inserting .the latter in thetubes.

The 'tubes y20 are water vproofed 'by .the application thereto^of a suitable coating of water proofing material `such 4as Loil yor wax which coating also lserves to reinforce thetubesandto resist wear. By mounting the tubes a's set forth, a damaged tube may be readily removed "and -replaced without disturbing other of the tubes.

As arneans'for securing the `tubes in place a strip 22of adhesive tape is wound aro-und each of the tubes adjacent "theV underside yofthe plate 11.

"Manifestlyihe pieces .of which the rack Bis formed maybe` readily assembled and accordingly are adapted to be merchandised'in aknockeddown condition.

The operation of the invention is apparent from the foregoingit'being'manifest! that mounting of the assembled rafckB inthe golf'bag A involves merely inserting the rack inthe bag'to its seated position therein and then securing `it in` place by application of the fastenings C.

VMounting of golf clubs in the rack simply involves insertingthe handle ends of the clubs .into the upper ends of'the'guideways `2`0.and thrusting-theclubs.along thejguideways to a seatedposition on the bottom lwall 71of`theJbag as indicated at .k inFig. 2. A series of golf clubs may'thuslbe mounted in therrack with `each club independently supported so that a single club may be readily removed .by .withdrawingit longitudinally from therack, which is effected without disturbingadjacent clubs.

VManifestly while carried in .the rack the series of clubs will be supported by theplates-.10-11.and tubes 20 with their handles ,clearv of l,each other irrespective ofthe normal position of 'the.,bag.

Vshownwand described, -the invention is not limited-to the exact details of construction set forth, and the invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents of the parts and their formation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim: y

1. In a club rack insert'for golf bags, a pair of spaced superimposed ,complementary ,plates formed with corresponding arrangements of apertures, a pair of elongated narrow posts lbetween which said plates are interposed and arranged in spaced parallel relation to each other, means rigidly fastening said plates to'said posts, aseries of rigid tubes leading `.from -the margin of each of the apertures in the uppermost of the plates through the apertures in the other of said plates, the apertures in the uppermost of said plates being dimensioned to freely receive said tubes and the apertures in the other of said plates `'being tdimensioned -to lreceive Vsaid tubes with a 'snug driving tit, .and Vmetalfgrommets onthe upper'ends of'Asaid-tubes adapted to seat on the margins of -the apertures in the uppermostofsaid plates.

' 2. Agolf` clubv rack-comprising apair ofspaced'parallel plates, a supporting frame-towhich said plates are rigidly att-ached,-saidplates each `being 'formed with a series of apertures arranged ywith theapertures in 'one of the plates aligned with the apertures lin Xthe other plate, -a rigid open ended tube extending through and snugly tted in-each'of'the-alignedapertures, and means fixed on said tubes engaging'the portions of said plate formingthe margins of vsaidgapertures tohold vthe tubes in place.

v"3. The'structure called "forinclaim 2 in which certain of said apertures'are circular and the tubes vtherein are cylindrical. y

4.` The structurecalledfor in Yclairn 2 in which certain of said apertures are circular and the tubes therein are cylindrical and Wherein'at least onelpair of the aligned apertures is elongated andthe tube therein correspondingly shaped.

' ReferenceslCited inthe-tile of thisv patent UNITED STATES"PAjTENTlS 4505,645 Wollt Sept. .26,v 1893 1,696,062 Thurlow'etv al. Dec. v18, 1928 .1,951,492 Schneider Mar. 20,11934 2,091,298 Agnew Aug. 431, 1937 2,482,372 RossoW Sept. 20, 1949 `2,679,876 Schall 2---- June l, 1954 2,722,258 Smidt, etal. l v fNoV. 1, 195,5

FOREIGN PATENTS 3,132 jGreat Britain Feb.'7, `11912 

